Endorsement Program

To ensure that the Bay Area grows in ways that enhance the quality of our communities and protects what makes our region special, we need more people saying “yes” to the right development in the right places. That’s where Greenbelt Alliance’s Endorsement Program comes in.

Greenbelt Alliance is a leader in championing smart growth and infill development around the Bay Area. Since the 1980s, we have provided independent validation of individual developments and neighborhood-scale projects and plans.

Why We Endorse Good Development

Over the next generation, the Bay Area will grow by 2 million people, from 7 million today to 9 million. Will we choose to protect our greenbelt as we grow, or sprawl ever outward? Will we choose to invest in the vitality of our cities and towns, or will we neglect our existing communities to fuel destructive sprawl? To grow in a sustainable and inclusive way, we need to champion the types of developments that will benefit our region for generations.

Infill development—new homes, shops, and workplaces within existing cities and towns—can deliver economic, environmental, and quality-of-life benefits to the Bay Area. Done right, it can transform neglected sites into safe, inviting places. It can create thriving neighborhoods with housing choices for all of the Bay Area’s people. It can foster walkable, bicycle-friendly neighborhoods that support active lifestyles and healthy communities. And it can ease development pressure on our greenbelt—which is one of the best things about living in the Bay Area.

To date, we have endorsed over 185 top-notch housing plans and projects totaling over 77,500 new Bay Area homes. Since 2000, our endorsements have helped improve 115 neighborhoods around the region.